The side trip to Crystal Cave from Giant Forest is
one of the highlights of a visit to the park. The approach road
completed in 1941, branches off from the main highway in the lower part
of Giant Forest at an elevation of 5,500 feet, and follows a winding
course across the beautiful Marble Fork Canyon through virgin forests of
mixed stands of pines, firs, incense cedar, black oak, dogwood, and
numerous low-growing species of flowering plants. In moist places, profuse
growths of beautiful tiger lilies may be seen blooming along the
roadside in the early part of the season. Through the lower part of this
Transition Zone forest, the road finally descends to the cave parking
area nine miles from Giant Forest, at an elevation of 4,860 feet. This
is a meeting place of the higher Transition Zone and the Upper Sonoran
Zone. The latter is so named because the vegetation here resembles that
of the Northern Sonora District of Mexico. It is characterized by
several species of brush or chapparral, certain species of trees such as
interior live oak, blue oak and western sycamore. The beautiful Mariposa
lily and stately Yucca also are representatives of this zone, together
with dozens of low annual and perennial flowering plants which reach
their climax in color and beauty in this section of the park.

From the parking area a half mile of hard surfaced
trail descends on an easy grade to the cave entrance in the bottom of
the canyon of Cascade Creek. The altitude at the cave entrance is 4,540
feet, or 320 feet lower than the parking area. This delightful nature
trail is a fitting prelude to a trip through the cave. It affords excellent
views of the marble outcrops and associated rocks. Fingers of
vegetation representing the Upper Sonoran Zone extend upward along
sunny slopes, while similar extensions from the Transition Zone cross
the trail and descend into the canyon in more sheltered places,
resulting in an interesting variety of plant and animal life. The trail
crosses Cascade Creek over a rustic oak bridge. Above and below it is a
beautiful series of waterfalls visible from the lower switchbacks on the
trail. One of the interesting trees along the trail is the rare
California nutmeg (Torreya californica). This tree is an evergreen with
sharply pointed needles. It grows to a height of about 75 feet in
cool canyons of the Upper Sonoran Zone, and its interesting seeds
resemble nutmegs. The entrance to the cave is situated near the base of
the lower waterfalls where a pleasant resting place has been provided in
the shade of the alders. There are many caves that surpass Crystal Cave
in size and beauty, but none of them has a more interesting and scenic
approach.

Recent photo of A. L. Medley, of Exeter,
Calif., demonstrating how he discovered the cave while fishing on Cascade Creek with the late C. M.
Webster in 1918.